Chelsea player ratings vs. Atletico: Eden Hazard leads as Bakayoko lags

Belgium. EDEN HAZARD. 9. Much like N’golo Kante, the world is quickly running out of superlatives to describe the Belgian. In his new role as a withdrawn free-roaming forward, he is unleashed to eviscerate as many opponents as he pleases. Hazard seemed to be able to ghost past Atletico defenders at will, seemingly finding endless joy along the edge of the box on the left side, almost always at the expense of Giminez. While it proved impossible for any Chelsea player to beat Oblak, Hazard provided the attempt that led to Chelsea’s goal by way of Savic’s foot. Were it not for some poor decision making by the players around him, Hazard could have dragged Chelsea to victory, given his brilliant play on some of Chelsea’s counterattacks later in the match. It is no secret at this point that Hazard is one of the best players in the world, but his dominance in a match that Chelsea were largely frustrated in was another example that he is in a class of his own right now.. 10

Spain. ALVARO MORATA. 7. Given the number of chances he had, it’s not difficult to imagine a scenario where Morata finishes this match with a hat trick. As with every other Chelsea player, Morata was constantly foiled by Jan Oblak, who made so many crucial and improbable saves it almost seemed like Morata had given up hope by the time he was subbed off, having just been denied a one-on-one goal by an on-rushing Oblak. It was just one of those days for the Spaniard, and he played well enough to suggest that there are plenty more goals in his near future. Just none on Tuesday.. 9

6. Pedro’s introduction for Bakayoko was encouraging, in that it brought about a merciful end to the Frenchman’s terrible no good very bad day, while signaling a change to a more attacking 3-4-3. He very nearly provided what would have certainly been the moment of the match with his classy flick that Morata was almost able to reach. He took up positions on the pitch that Atletico had not been used to defending so far in the match, and played a part in Chelsea’s heavy pressure in the final stages of the game.. 11. Spain. PEDRO

Brazil. WILLIAN . 5. Willian the Brazilian certainly made his presence felt in the 20 or so minutes he was on the pitch, but not in a good way. The most glaring moment was when he blasted the ball into row Z with no one near him in the penalty box, perhaps as an homage to Fernando Torres upon his return to Stamford Bridge. It’s a shame because Willian had been putting in some high-quality performances over the last couple of weeks, and his introduction felt like it could have been the spark Chelsea needed to finally find a winner, as they began to break away on counterattacks consistently in the last half hour of the match. While Willian certainly found himself on the ball in counterattacking situations, he seemed unable to produce the correct weight or timing with his passes to actually lead to anything substantial. Willian is a very streaky player, so one can only hope that this is just a blip on the radar rather than a descent into a run of poor form.. 22

MICHY BATSHUAYI. 6. Everyone’s favorite Twitter personality made his return to the pitch late in the match, and almost repeated his late-game heroics from the reverse fixture at the Wanda Metropolitano. The Belgian showed excellent strength to win the ball, leading to his chipped effort that went beyond Oblak but sailed just wide of the post. It was good to see Batshuyai back after his injury issues, and he looked relatively sharp and fit, which bodes well for Chelsea going into the busy holiday period.. 23. Belgium